Ezekiel, Chapter 33

33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
33:2 Son of man,
speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring
the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their
coasts, and set him for their watchman:
33:3 If when he seeth the
sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

33:4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not
warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon
his own head.

33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his
blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his
soul.

33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet,
and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person
from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will
I require at the watchmans hand.

33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house
of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn
them from me.

33:8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die;
if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked
man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine
hand.

33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it;
if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul.

33:10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel;
Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us,
and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
33:11 Say unto
them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?
33:12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of
thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him
in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked,
he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his
wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his
righteousness in the day that he sinneth.

33:13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if
he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his
righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he
hath committed, he shall die for it.

33:14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he
turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
33:15 If the
wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the
statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live,
he shall not die.

33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto
him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely
live.

33:17 Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not
equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.

33:18 When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

33:19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is
lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

33:20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of
Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

33:21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the
tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped
out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.

33:22 Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he
that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in
the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb.

33:23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
33:24 Son of
man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak,
saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many;
the land is given us for inheritance.

33:25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with
the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood:
and shall ye possess the land?
33:26 Ye stand upon your sword, ye
work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbours wife: and
shall ye possess the land?
33:27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall
by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the
beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves
shall die of the pestilence.

33:28 For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her
strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate,
that none shall pass through.

33:29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the
land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have
committed.

33:30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are
talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and
speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray
you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit
before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not
do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart
goeth after their covetousness.

33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that
hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they
hear thy words, but they do them not.

33:33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall
they know that a prophet hath been among them.